Palestinians support indigenous Dakota pipeline protests: “We stand with Standing Rock” Ben Norton Friday, Nov 18, 2016 12:05 PM CST salon.com
WATCH: Gazans express solidarity with the NoDAPL Native American-led resistance against the Dakota Access pipeline “…“Like you, we don’t control our natural resources,” Suliman continued in her letter. “Just as you were not consulted about the Dakota Access Pipeline that will traverse your land and contaminate your water supply if installed, we are not consulted by Israel, which wants to mine the gas supply in our harbor for its own use and monopolizes the water supply in the West Bank for the green lawns of its own residents — leaving Palestinians parched and dry.”..”

History

Origin of the Name Palestine palestinefacts.org
Where did the name Palestine come from?
The name Palestine is given to the region spreading from eastern Mediterranean coast to the Jordan Valley to the area covering Galilee Lake in the north and southern Negev Desert. The origin of this word lies in Pleshethâ€.Â This is a name appearing frequently in the Bible and have started being known as Philistine in English. The world root of Pleshethâ lies in the word palahâ was is a term used generally in the sense of migratory, referring to the Palestinian’s conquest of the coast of Mediterranean. These people were mostly originates of Asia Minor and Greece and gradually became a part of the Arab world…”

In AD 135, the Emperor Hadrian blotted out the name Provincia Judea and renamed it Provincia Syria Palaestina. This was the Latin version of the Greek name and soon became a name to be used as an administrative unit. This name was shortened to Palaestina and the name Palestine was derived from it as a modern and anglicized version. No changes occurred to this name until after the fourth century had passed when Palestine was divided in to three regions, following the imperial reorganization. The name Palestine was used by the Christian Crusades to regard all three of the divided regions in general and continued to be used for the regions on both sides of the Jordan River in general. Palestine went under the rule of the Ottoman Turks for 400 years where its administration was attached to Damascus. After the fall of the Ottoman Empire in World War I, the name Palestine was revived and was applied to the land falling under the British Mandate for Palestine. Arabs use the name Falastinâ for Palestine which is an Arab pronunciation of the Roman word Palaestina. ..

Zuheir Mohsen en.wikiquote.org“..The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct “Palestinian people” to oppose Zionism. Yes, the existence of a separate Palestinian identity exists only for tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan.
James Dorsey, “Wij zijn alleen Palestijn om politieke reden”, Trouw, 31 March 1977…”

EXODUS – Trailer (1960)

Exodus: The Real Story openu.ac.il“..Prof. Aviva Halamish of the Department of History, Philosophy and Judaic Studies, opened her lecture on “The True Story of Exodus” by asking if anyone in the audience had any personal connection with the Exodus. Two people raised their hands; one who had a birth certificate indicating that he was one of tens of babies born on the very same embattled ship of Jewish refugees.

“The real story of Exodus ” Prof. Halamish explained “is not reenacted in the Otto Preminger film based on Leon Uris’ book. And, there is no Paul Newman either. The real story of the Exodus also played no part in influencing the UN decision for partition, nor did it influence the recommendations of the UNSCOP commission, “which according to Halamish “just happened to coincide with the arrival of the Exodus in Haifa’s port.”

The real story of the boat known as Exodus is no less astounding and epic in nature than the story portrayed in the 1960 film, by the same name. The Exodus, which departed from France on July 11, 1947, was filled to capacity with 4,500 Jewish refugees, making it the most populous boat to bear refugees to Palestine since the end of the Holocaust. For nearly the entire journey, the Exodus was followed by 6 British ships which, in spite of the Honduras flag which flew from its mast, had early on identified the Exodus as belonging to the struggling Jewish government in Palestine. In addition to the refugees, the Exodus carried 36 American volunteers and a cadre of Israeli Jewish volunteers largely despatched from the Jewish Agency, the official governing body of the Jewish population in Palestine.

The timing, unlike the portrayal in the film, “had more to do with the Tour de France than the UNSCOP — The United Nations Special Committee on Palestine — which was then visiting Palestine and was chartered to bring its recommendations for resolving the issue of the warring Arab and Jewish populations in Palestine” Prof. Halamish revealed.

Why the Tour de France? The Jewish leadership felt that world attention would be riveted more to the Tour de France, than a sole boat chugging its way from France to Haifa. ..

However, and this is one of the other reasons that the story of the Exodus has taken on almost mythic proportions, the British decided that they needed to “teach the refugees,” (and probably the Jewish Agency and its agents throughout the world) “a lesson.” As a result, all of the 4,500+ refugees were reboarded onto three boats to begin a three-day journey back to France.

France agreed to accept the refugees provided that they “would alight willingly” and here was the catch. In spite of the fact that there was little communication among the three boats, and there were refugees of various backgrounds, languages and ages — no one would agree to willingly alight. A few did: those who were injured during the ocean battle with the British, and women whose pregnancies were considered riskier. Those whose pregnancies and pending deliveries were considered to be ‘normal’ insisted on staying on the boat. All told 150 people got off the boat. …”

SUPPORT

http://democracynow.org – As U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announces plans to set up an investigation into the attacks on United Nations facilities during Israel’s recent assault on the Gaza Strip, we broadcast the speech of world-renowned political dissident Noam Chomsky, who recently spoke in the hall of the U.N. General Assembly at an event sponsored by the United Nations Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People. “The pattern that was set in January 1976 continues to the present,” said Chomsky, Institute Professor Emeritus at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Israel rejects a settlement of these terms and for many years has been devoting extensive resources to ensuring it will not be implemented with the unremitting and decisive support of the United States — military, economic, diplomatic and ideological.”

Recognition of a Palestinian state is consistent with the EU’s long-standing support for achieving a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and builds on both its landmark 1980 Venice Declaration and subsequent 1999 Berlin statement, which announced the EU’s “readiness to consider the recognition of a Palestinian State”.
..”

Religions

-Christianity

->CatholicWhy The Vatican’s Recognition Of A Palestinian State Comes As No Great Surprise 05/13/2015 11:28 pm ET | Updated May 14, 2015 huffingtonpost.com“..
Three years ago, Vatican officials applauded the U.N.’s move, which gave Palestine the same status as the Vatican before the international organization. In the years since, the Holy See has listed Palestine as a state in its official yearbook, and Pope Francis referred to the Palestinian state during his 2014 visit to the West Bank.

Why Palestinian Davids will defeat the Zionist Goliath By Kevin Barrett on November 1, 2015 veteranstoday.com“..The current outbreak of what looks to become the Third Intifada is rooted in the belligerent, uncompromising, expansionist and genocidal policies of the state of Israel, which have continued regardless of what the Palestinians do. We’ve seen the Israelis “mowing the lawn in Gaza” every few years, killing thousands of innocent civilians. We see ongoing brutalization of the Palestinian population that is clearly designed to make life unlivable for the Palestinians. And this amounts to genocide, as professor Lawrence Davidson of West Chester University has said. He is from a Jewish background himself. And he is far from the only person from a Jewish background who recognizes that the current policies of the Israeli government amount to genocide. So given that there has been absolutely no progress on the political front, and given that the Zionist leadership is under the domination of a certified psychopath, Benjamin Netanyahu, one of the principle authors of the September 11th Zionist coup d’état in the United States, it is clear that the only way the Palestinians have any hope of maintaining their struggle over the long term, which is what is required, is to admit that negotiations currently are not possible – and to opt for military resistance…

The cost of the Zionist occupation of Palestine is getting higher and higher. Here in the United States, more and more Americans are waking up and realizing that since the coup of September 11th, which about one-third of Americans realize was an inside job, the United States has spent trillions of dollars – as much as four or five trillion dollars according to some counts – in wars designed to destabilize Israel’s enemies, and to ultimately work for the interests of Israel, not the United States. So the costs of the Zionist project have reached a ridiculous level. The economy of the United States has been crippled by the 9/11 wars for Israel. This (asymmetry) is perhaps the most important dimension of the asymmetric struggle between the Palestinians and the Zionists. The Zionists have to spend millions of millions of dollars to try to defend against what the Palestinians can do with a two dollar knife or a ten dollar per month internet connection.”
*see Deep Thought: Who to “blame” for the world’s corruption? goodnewseverybodycom.wordpress.com

NEUTRAL

Wars

-November 2018

=>Palestinian Perspective

Israel blows up Gaza ceasefire Ali Abunimah Rights and Accountability 13 November 2018 electronicintifada.net “..Israel carried out air raids across Gaza on Monday night with Palestinian resistance factions firing some 300 rockets into Israel in retaliation for an Israeli raid Sunday that killed seven members of the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas…

It remained to be seen if Israel’s security cabinet, which was due to meet Tuesday, would agree to return to the ceasefire that Israel violated.”

‘Everything is a target’: Gaza residents decry Israeli strikes
by Farah Najjar & Maram Humaid
7 hours ago aljazeera.com“..On Tuesday, the armed wing of Hamas, the group that administers the Gaza Strip, warned it would increase attacks and fire rockets at the Israeli towns of Ashdod and Beersheba if Israel continues to carry out air raids on civilian buildings.

The statement by al-Qassam Brigades was released hours after a rocket from Gaza killed an Israeli man in the coastal town of Ashkelon.

At least seven Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks since late on Monday, in the worst flare-up of violence between the two sides since the 2014 Israeli assault on the Strip.

The escalation came after at least seven other Palestinians were killed on Sunday in a covert Israeli operation, to which Hamas responded with rocket fire from Gaza. One Israeli soldier was also killed in the undercover raid near Khan Younis…”

The IDF said it struck more than 160 Hamas and Islamic Jihad terror targets in the Strip, including tunnels, four military compounds in Gaza City, Beit Hanun, Jabalya and Khan Yunis, as well as a Hamas launch site in Khan Yunis and four multi-story buildings…”

ANALYSIS: Israel Readies for Third Gaza War Tuesday, November 13, 2018 | Yochanan Visser .israeltoday.co.il“..The dramatic announcement, a clear sign Israel is preparing for another war against Hamas and the other Palestinian terror groups in Gaza, came after more than 400 rockets rained down on southern Israel since Monday afternoon.

Magen David Adom, the Israeli first aid organization and ambulance service, said 27 Israelis were injured by the massive missile attacks from Gaza while one resident of the coastal city of Ashkelon was killed by a direct hit on his house Monday night…

The victim appeared to be a Palestinian Arab, 48, from the Hebron area who was only found dead hours after police and the fire brigade arrived at the scene of the devastating blast which destroyed an entire building.

The lead up to what could be the third Gaza war began this weekend when a Palestinian terrorist from Gaza infiltrated an Israeli community in the vicinity of the security fence and set ablaze a greenhouse before being arrested by Israeli security forces.

The incident was followed by a shoot-out between an elite undercover unit of the IDF and members of Hamas’ military wing Izz-a-Din al-Qassam in the area of the Palestinian town of Khan Younis in Gaza on Sunday night.

The secret intelligence-gathering operation went awry when members of Izz-a-Din al-Qassam spotted the IDF unit and tried to stop the private car they were traveling with.

In the ensuing shoot-out, 7 Hamas terrorists were killed, among them Nour Barakeh, a Qassam Brigade commander who reportedly was in charge with Hamas’ terror tunnel project and served as the commander of Hamas’ regional battalion in Khan Younis..

The Israeli PM, who on Sunday said he would do his utmost to prevent a humanitarian disaster in Gaza and allowed Qatar to deliver $15 million in cash to the impoverished enclave, immediately started consultations with the top of the IDF after arriving in Israel.

Hamas, meanwhile, used the funeral of the 7 slain terrorists to ignite the Palestinian street and organized a mass demonstration against “the occupation”.”

A four-month ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants in Gaza was in jeopardy today after Israeli troops killed six Hamas gunmen in a raid into the territory.

“Hamas responded by firing a wave of rockets into southern Israel, although no one was injured. The violence represented the most serious break in a ceasefire agreed in mid-June, yet both sides suggested they wanted to return to atmosphere of calm. (Rory McCarthy, Gaza truce broken as Israeli raid kills six Hamas gunmen, The Guardian, November 5, 2008; http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/&#8230;

The Guardian added:

Until now it had appeared both Israel and Hamas, which seized full control of Gaza last summer, had an interest in maintaining the ceasefire.

What will it be like to live in?
Will it be democratic?
How will it treat religions other than Muslim?
What will its attitude be towards Israel?
How will it treat gays, lesbians and cross genders?
Will it allow building of places of worship that are not Mosques?
What will its policy be towards refugees?
Will it have a free press?
Which of its Arab ‘brother’ states will it model itself on?
Who will be its allies?
With whom will it trade?
What will it trade?

A result of all the research I have conducted, from everything I have read and all that I understand to be spoken by President Abbas and from Khaled Mashal this state will probably not be the nicest of places to live in. Additionally, from current evidence it certainly won’t be democratic as both the PA and Hamas are currently well past their constitutional sell by dates. Furthermore the PA have declared that their state will be a no-go area for Jews and that they will never recognize Israel as the Jewish homeland.
..”

“Jerusalem has been a Jewish holy city since the days of King David . 3000 years ago.
At that time the Arabs were still pagans who used to worship idols such as Al Uzza, Al Lat and Al Mannat at the Kaaba. (Jahiliyya period)

In the year 638 CE the muslims captured Jerusalem from the Byzantines and built a mosque on the site of the Jewish holy Temple.

While Jews pray facing Jerusalem and the Temple mount , Muslims pray towards Mecca.
When Muslims pray in Jerusalem they point their behind to the Dome of the rock and the temple mount.

An Islamic holy site ?
Palestinians use the temple mount as a playground where they have picnics and play soccer.

Sary Nusseibeh , palestinian professor and the president of the Al Quds university had to go underground after admitting that the temple mount is a Jewish holy site.

Ibn Taymiyyah (1263-1328) , whose writings influenced the Wahhabi movement in arabia ruled that sacred islamic sites are to be found only in the Arabian Peninsula and that ” in Jerusalem, there is not a place one calls sacred , and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron”

Jerusalem is mentioned in the Bible 667 times , while in the Quran : 0 times .

According to the quran , the holy land was written by Allah to Israel (quran 5:21) and that the Jews will return to their land (quran 17:104)

The jews are coming back home from the diaspora .

Ezekiel 36:24
“For i will take you from among the nations , gather you out of all countries, and bring you back into your own land”

Jeremiah 29:14
“I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.”

Isaia 62:1
“For Zion’s sake I will not keep silent, for Jerusalem’s sake I will not remain quiet, till her righteousness shines out like the dawn, her salvation like a blazing torch.”
“

Religion

“..I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”..”–Genesis 12

This is an on-going topic, which I’ll be updating this frequently. Stay tune! Thoughts, suggestions, comments, feedback, etc..?

Fred Rogers | People | Pioneers of Television | PBS pbs.org
“Won’t You Be My Neighbor?””
Rogers’ famous sneakers became his choice in footwear after he found that they allowed him to walk quietly behind the scenes of the live television productions. The host’s trademark opening song, Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, became part of the national consciousness in 1968, when “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” began airing in Pittsburgh and was soon picked up by several other large markets, including Boston and New York. In 1969 PBS contracted the show, and it was broadcast nationally…

Rogers is also known for his vociferous protection of children, and in 1969 he testified in front of a congressional subcommittee to oppose funding cuts to public broadcasting. During the moving testimony, Rogers recited the lyrics to one of his popular songs. “Fred Rogers has proven that television can soothe the soul and nurture the spirit and teach the very young,” said President George W. Bush as he awarded the soft-spoken pioneer the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contribution to children’s education initiatives. The award came just months before Rogers’ death…”

Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, Trailer

Biography

Fred Rogers Biography – A Life of Service

Fred Rogers was a legitimate American national treasure. Over 31 seasons he proved to be the reliable, compassionate and all-wise friendly neighbor who guided millions of youngsters through their childhood. Fred single handedly introduced children’s educational television, in the process elevating a medium that was heading downhill fast. His radical kindness, typified by a gentle and personal manner, helped bring sanity to a world beset by problems. Having Mr. Rogers as our neighbor made the world a safer place.

“..Fred McFeely Rogers was born on March 20, 1928 in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, 40 miles east of Pittsburgh. Rogers earned his bachelor’s degree in music composition at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida in 1951. Immediately upon graduation, he was hired by NBC television in New York as an assistant producer for The Voice of Firestone and later as floor director for The Lucky Strike Hit Parade, The Kate Smith Hour, and the NBC Opera Theatre. Rogers was married in 1952 to Joanne Byrd, a concert pianist and fellow Rollins graduate…”

Mr Rogers … Cool Dude

Get an Exclusive Look Inside the First Full-Length Mister Rogers Biography By Maxwell King June 1, 2018 time.com“..It was an offer of unconditional love — and millions took it. Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood often reached 10 percent of American households, five to ten million children each day who wanted to spend time with this quiet, slightly stooped, middle-aged man with a manner so gentle as to seem a little feminine…”

5 beautiful things we learn about Mister Rogers from new biography, ‘The Good Neighbor’ Hannah Yasharoff, USA TODAY Published 11:37 a.m. ET Sept. 7, 2018 | Updated 3:46 p.m. ET Sept. 9, 2018 usatoday.com“..A new biography, “The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers” by Maxwell King (Abrams Press, 363 pp., ★★★ out of four), chronicles the childhood, family, career and legacy of the man who revolutionized children’s television with messages of kindness, patience and inclusion on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”..”

3rd Person View

Mr. Rogers was my actual neighbor. He was everything he was on TV and more. By Adam Eisenstat Jul 26, 2018, 9:40am EDT vox.com“..This year marks the golden anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood — 50 years since the children’s TV staple was first broadcast nationally — and a flood of high-profile tributes is well underway. There’s a postage stamp commemorating Fred Rogers, the show’s affable host; a star-powered PBS special; a documentary; and coming later this year, a Rogers biography and a biopic starring Tom Hanks as Rogers…
Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was produced in my hometown Pittsburgh, which gave the show an outsize presence there. Some of the cast members were local celebrities: Don Brockett, who played Chef Brockett on the show, was on my paper route. He and other characters from the show appeared frequently at children’s events and charity functions. Mr. Rogers himself, as I found out one day, lived a mere two blocks from me. …

That’s when I got to Mr. Rogers’s house. I recognized him as soon as he opened the door. Though he maintained a certain formality — I was a stranger, after all — he was entirely gracious and approachable. I acted, though, as if I had never seen him. I didn’t want to appear starstruck, and anyway, I didn’t even like his show. Instead, I focused on the task at hand: Do not leave without something. I had to end the day with at least one donation.

After I stammered out my introduction, he invited me in and we stood in the foyer, where he heard my pitch. To my surprise, he really listened to me, asking me questions and requesting that I elaborate on some of the points I was making. The entire day I had been knocking on doors, not a single person asked me why I was doing what I was doing. ..

When I got back home, I stared at the single dollar I had collected, as if in a trance. Mr. Rogers and the world I had stumbled into briefly after ringing his doorbell, the very world conjured on his show, offered a glimpse into how things could be if adults treated children with real respect.

Fred Rogers’s ethos was unlike any other: scrupulously moderate, tolerant, and anti-consumerist, driven by cutting-edge models of child development and infused with dollops of real Christian love. (Rogers was in fact an ordained Presbyterian minister.)..

15 Interesting Mr. Rogers Facts todayifoundout.com“..5) Mr. Rogers was a vegetarian. He didn’t smoke or drink or seem to have any major vices. He also stayed married to the same woman until his death; their marriage lasted 47 years. About the only even slightly “scandalous” thing Mr. Rogers seemed to do, which he revealed in an interview, was that he swam laps completely in the buff nearly every morning of his adult life at various clubs that allowed nude swimming at certain times of the day…

10) Mr. Rogers once appeared as preacher, Reverend Thomas, on an episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman called “Deal with the Devil”…”

Season 4 Episode 19 – Deal with the Devil kodiapps.com”
The Reverend mortgages the church to Hank to get money to make church repairs in order to impress his mentor Rev. Thomas. Rev. Thomas: Fred Rogers. Mr. James: Max Gail. Air Date : 17th-Feb-1996..”

Episodes

Show Topics

Mr. Rogers Talks With Parents About Discipline

Government Involvement

May 1, 1969: Fred Rogers testifies before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications

On May 1, 1969, Fred Rogers, host of the (then) recently nationally syndicated children’s television series, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (named Misterogers’ Neighborhood at the time), testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce Subcommittee on Communications to defend $20 million in federal funding proposed for the newly formed non-profit Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which was at risk of being reduced to $10 million. Subcommittee chairman, Senator John Pastore (D-RI), unfamiliar with Fred Rogers, is initially abrasive toward him. Over the course of Rogers’ 6 minutes of testimony, Pastore’s demeanor gradually transitions to one of awe and admiration as Rogers speaks…

Mr. Rogers and the Power of Persuasion

Sen. John O. Pastore, 93, Dies By Richard Pearson
July 17, 2000 washingtonpost.com“..During his years in the Senate, he became a senior member of the Commerce and Appropriations committees and had served for a time as joint chairman of the Joint Committee on Atomic Energy. He also also had chaired Commerce’s communications subcommittee, which had jurisdiction over television and radio.

..From his communications subcommittee chair, he had been an early critic of what he regarded as excessive portrayal of both sex and violence on network television. And as both a New Englander and a sports fan, he was instrumental in getting network executives to modify their rules concerning the “blackout” of major sports events.

..

If he will be remembered in Washington for his speaking ability, the skillful use of his committee assignments and a combative integrity, he may be best remembered in Rhode Island as the first Italian American to win election as governor and senator and as a man who dominated the state’s political scene for decades without losing a single election.

Yes, and it’s an important word that you just used “seemingly,” because some people on TV who are personalities and well known aren’t exactly in person the way they are on the screen. You understand that. But Fred Rogers was the real deal, and the gentle, kind, loving compassionate person that you saw in the neighborhood who wrote all the scripts and did many of the puppets himself, he was the same person, the one you would sit at lunch together and talk for hours, and I think it was one of the unique things about him, Chris, and I use the word “incarnate ministry” for Fred Rogers. He was able to touch millions of people through the screen, through the TV, through the books and through commencement addresses. But he also touched God knows how many one-on-one or in small groups, especially people who were down and out and hurting or disabled in any way. He had a compassion for people who were struggling. He truly had an incarnate ministry…

That people would leave the theater together with tears in their eyes, joy in their heart. I hope a resolve to be more kind, to be more loving, a resolve to be faith in action, a resolve to reach out to the marginalized people, a resolve to be a better person of faith, a hope that people will take away a resolve to be who God has called us to be, whatever faith dimension we’ve got. In many cases, for people who have no faith dimension, I hope that they will have a resolve to actually be more like Fred Rogers.”

Love Thy Neighbor as Mister Rogers Did KENNETH R. MOREFIELD| JUNE 7, 2018 christianitytoday.com“..In March 2000, Christianity Today ran a cover story about Rogers, equating adults who evaded the call to love their neighbor with the self-justifying expert in the law who interrogated Jesus and prompted the parable of the Good Samaritan. The 50th anniversary of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (which, in a bit of historic irony, featured King Friday building a wall around his kingdom in its first episode) has prompted a new outpouring of affection and appreciation for Rogers and his work. But as the documentary illustrates, a large part of the current wave of appreciation has more to do with Rogers being ahead of his time than with his being a symbol of a simpler past.

…To cite just one example, the film cuts between scenes of Rogers soaking his feet in a plastic pool alongside a black actor and footage of whites throwing bleach into public swimming venues that had recently been integrated. Sometimes a demonstration of solidarity with the oppressed and compassion for the persecuted makes a greater impact than any laws, sermons, or tweets. Rogers’s television show may be wrongly remembered in some quarters as innocuous pabulum, but its host was actually quite brave, talking to kids about topics like divorce, the assassination of Robert Kennedy, and the explosion of the space shuttle, and trusting that, with loving guidance, they could handle it.

Part of what made Rogers enduringly successful is that he viewed the television show as his ministry rather than simply as a platform for his message. “I got into television because I hated it so,” he once admitted. But after earning his divinity degree in 1962, he had realized that the medium would be a “fabulous instrument to nurture those who would watch and listen.” Producer Margy Whitmer explains in the film that Rogers’s formula was to “take all of the elements that make good television and do the exact opposite.” That’s a great quip, but even more, it is a powerful reminder of the potential for Christians to transform their industry rather simply conform to it.

..
..
“

Public Speaking

FRED ROGERS QUOTES notable-quotes.com“..It’s you I like. It’s not the things you wear. It’s not the way you do your hair … but it’s you I like. The way you are right now. The way down deep inside you. Not the things that hide you. Not your fancy toys. They’re just beside you. But it’s you I like. Every part of you. Your skin, your eyes, your feelings, whether old or new. I hope that you’ll remember even when you’re feeling blue. That it’s you I like. It’s you, yourself. It’s you.

11 Mr. Rogers Quotes Every Christian Should Read relevantmagazine.com“..In the years since his death, his legend has grown. Some people say he wore cardigans to cover up his tattoos (false.) Some say he started every morning by skinny dipping (true.) Instead of adding to the myth, we’ll turn the microphone over to him. Here are a few of his own thoughts on love, community and being a neighbor.

15 Mister Rogers quotes for when you need a friendly neighbor mashable.com20 Gentle Quotations from Mister Rogers mentalfloss.com“..5. On Looking for the Helpers
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, ‘Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.’ To this day, especially in times of ‘disaster,’ I remember my mother’s words, and I am always comforted by realizing that there are still so many helpers–so many caring people in this world.”..”

The Case for Christ (2017) historyvshollywood.com
Starring Mike Vogel, Erika Christensen, Faye Dunaway, Robert Forster | based on the autobiography ‘The Case for Christ’ by Lee Strobel”
“…Did Lee Strobel really have an alcohol problem before he became a Christian?
Yes, he drank in excess regularly. In a Lee Strobel interview, he says that as an atheist, he had concluded that the best way to live his life was as a hedonist. “Just pursue pleasure, this is all you get in this world. So, that was my number one goal in life,” says Strobel, “to bring maximum pleasure into my life. And so I lived a very immoral, and drunken, and profane, and narcissistic, really self-destructive kind of a life. That was my life.”..”

In this updated, expanded edition, starting with Freud’s “projection theory” of religion – that belief in God is merely a product of man’s desire for security – Professor Vitz argues that psychoanalysis actually provides a more satisfying explanation for atheism. Disappointment in one’s earthly father, whether through death, absence, or mistreatment, frequently leads to a rejection of God.

A biographical survey of influential atheists of the past four centuries shows that this “defective father hypothesis” provides a consistent explanation of the “intense atheism” of these thinkers. A survey of the leading defenders of Christianity over the same period confirms the hypothesis, finding few defective fathers. Vitz concludes with an intriguing comparison of male and female atheists and a consideration of other psychological factors that can contribute to atheism.

Professor Vitz does not argue that atheism is psychologically determined. Each man, whatever his experiences, ultimately chooses to accept God or reject him. Yet the cavalier attribution of religious faith to irrational, psychological needs is so prevalent that an exposition of the psychological factors predisposing one to atheism is necessary. “

Bio

Elvis Presley – A Boy From Tupelo: A Short Film

elvis presley – cut me and i bleed

elvis presley – i don’t sound like nobody

Elvis Presley From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia“..Presley was born in Tupelo, Mississippi, and relocated to Memphis, Tennessee, with his family when he was 13 years old. His music career began there in 1954, recording at Sun Records with producer Sam Phillips, who wanted to bring the sound of African American music to a wider audience. Accompanied by guitarist Scotty Moore and bassist Bill Black, Presley was a pioneer of rockabilly, an uptempo, backbeat-driven fusion of country music and rhythm and blues. In 1955, drummer D. J. Fontana joined to complete the lineup of Presley’s classic quartet and RCA Victor acquired his contract in a deal arranged by Colonel Tom Parker, who would manage the singer for more than two decades. Presley’s first RCA single, “Heartbreak Hotel”, was released in January 1956 and became a number one hit in the United States. With a series of successful network television appearances and chart-topping records, he became the leading figure of the newly popular sound of rock and roll. His energized interpretations of songs and sexually provocative performance style, combined with a singularly potent mix of influences across color lines during a transformative era in race relations, made him enormously popular—and controversial. ..”

The Real Story of ELVIS PRESLEY – YouTube

Songs

Top 10 Elvis Presley Songs

Can’t Help Falling In Love – YouTube

Crazy Thing Called Love

Elvis Presley last song ever 1977

Gospel Songs

Best Gospel Songs by Elvis Presley – YouTube

ELVIS TELLS FANS: JESUS CHRIST IS KING #Full … – YouTube

Interesting Facts

Wait, Elvis Presley And The Fonz Almost Starred In Grease? cinemablend.com“.. Henry Winkler wasn’t the only significant change that could have happened. Although he may have been the most obvious. Elvis Presley was rumored at one point to be in the running for the role of Teen Angel. Ultimately, the role went to another 1950’s film star, Frankie Avalon. Elvis would eventually pass away during filming, which wouldn’t have necessarily caused filming problems as the Teen Angel role is not very large, but it would have made for a fairly odd, and possibly chilling, last role for the aged rocker…”

The Right To Refuse Service? Businesses and Discrimination Louis Marlin — February 4, 2014 business2community.com“..Restaurants and stores qualify as “public accommodations” even if they’re a private business. As such, discrimination laws apply just as much on private property and to private businesses as they do in any public place.

Whether you post a sign or not, businesses never have the right to refuse or turn away customers because of their race, gender, age, nationality or religion. In addition to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, several states have their own civil rights legislation designed to prevent discrimination. The Americans with Disabilities Act also prohibits discrimination in public accommodations, making it illegal to refuse service to individuals who are disabled or handicapped…

..there are some valid reasons for asking customers to leave. Individuals or groups who are causing trouble or being disruptive may be asked to leave, while restaurants or other businesses with a capacity limit can turn away customers to prevent this limit from being exceeded. Businesses can also refuse service to those who come in just before closing time or to those who are not making any purchases during their visit. There are various other examples – the key thing to note is that in each example, the decision to refuse service is not arbitrary or based upon an individual’s specific characteristics. Declining to serve someone has to be reasonable and justifiable. If customers are not properly dressed, you can ask that they leave, but if a person is wearing reasonable religious apparel and you dislike their beliefs, you can’t use that as an excuse to send them on their way. If ..”

“I called them and told them that I — we’re not going to have that at Sisters, we had no plans for that and there were no reservations to hold any kind of fundraiser or anything like that,” said owner Richard Hodo.

“I told them that I do not support their cause, that if they want to do that that’s their business. I do not care, but I don’t support their lifestyle and their cause,” he added.

Hodo told an organizer with the River Valley Equality Center that he runs a private business and that he reserves the right to deny any group or person service — whether that means saying “no” to white supremacists or a gay rights group…”

Dave Rubin Argues For ‘Freedom’ Of Baker Refusing To Make Gay Wedding Cake

Yes, Of Course A Business Owner Should Have The Right To Refuse Service To Gay People
By Matt Walsh, February 27th 2014 thoughtcatalog.com“..Late last week, Michael Brown and 24 of his friends and family met at a Charleston, South Carolina restaurant for a farewell party for his cousin. After waiting about two hours for a table, a shift manager at the Wild Wing Cafe told the party to leave. Did I mention these folks were black? Oh, well, they were black. And why weren’t they getting seated?

According to the shift manager, it was because a white patron felt “threatened” by the group, and the manager felt obliged to respect this woman’s delusion by keeping the black diners waiting in the lobby before ultimately kicking them out…”

‘Red Hen’ Owner Who Booted Sarah Sanders Just Got Nasty Taste Of Her Own Medicine

“..On Friday, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and her extended family members, many of whom are liberals, were forced out of the Red Hen eatery in Lexington, Virginia, by co-owner Stephanie Wilkinson. Although the party politely obliged the indignant staffers, Wilkinson proceeded to gather her comrades and stalk Sanders’ family at another restaurant, screaming insults and demanding they leave. ..”Red Hen restaurants around the world are getting blamed for kicking out Sarah Sanders By Adi Robertson and Makena Kelly Jun 26, 2018, 10:30am EDT theverge.com“..A Red Hen in Swedesboro, New Jersey, (motto: “deliciously simple food”) posted an exasperated note after receiving hundreds of phone calls about the incident. An unrelated restaurant in Connecticut pleaded with angry Facebook users: “People! PLEASE. Do not react before you know which FB page to which you are posting.” Across the border in Ontario, Canada, the Olde Red Hen’s owners were condemned as “liberal trash.” No restaurant was remote enough to escape the ire — not even the Little Red Hen in Muntinlupa City, Philippines, which was called out for 86-ing “one of the finest woman in this country.”..”

Americans split over whether businesses must serve same-sex couples By Michael Lipka pewresearch.org“..A Pew Research Center survey last year found a U.S. public divided over these types of issues. The survey asked Americans whether businesses that provide wedding services should be allowed to refuse service to same-sex couples on religious grounds, or whether they should be required to provide services. Roughly equal shares of U.S. adults answered the question each way, with 49% saying businesses should be required to serve same-sex weddings, and 47% saying businesses should be permitted to refuse service due to religious objections…”

“Because I’m very upset by somebody being kicked out of a restaurant in Lexington- this is not us,” said Mary Harvey-Halseth.

Others, traveled to the area hoping to eat at the restaurant and show support. ..”

“Shouldn’t Refuse

Political Beliefs

Why Sarah Sanders shouldn’t have been kicked out of that Virginia restaurant By Karin Klein Special to The Sacramento Bee June 24, 2018 01:15 PM sacbee.com“…When Sanders wants to buy underpants, she should be allowed to, even if the owner of the lingerie shop hates everything about her. A gay couple should be able to check into any hotel. The head of Planned Parenthood should be able to order dinner in a restaurant where the owner feels that abortion amounts to the horrific killing of innocent babies.
..”

I Can Only Imagine
Published on Jan 9, 2018
I Can Only Imagine: Official Trailer
In Theaters March 16http://icanonlyimagine.com”
It’s the song that brings ultimate hope to so many … often in the midst of life’s most challenging moments. Amazingly, the song was written in mere minutes by MercyMe lead singer Bart Millard. In reality, those lyrics took a lifetime to craft. “

Stop calling Christian movies’ success a ‘surprise’ Patrick Ryan, USA TODAY Published 12:34 p.m. ET March 27, 2018 | Updated 5:25 p.m. ET March 29, 2018 usatoday.com“..That’s not to say every religious movie is a success right out of the gate. Paul, Apostle of Christ starring The Passion of the Christ’s Jim Caviezel made back its $5-million budget this past weekend, although it still trails the openings of other Biblical epics such as Son of God ($25.6 million) and Risen ($11.8 million). ..

1. Look to pre-existing source material.

Some of the biggest Christian hits of the past few years have been based on best-selling books, including last year’s The Shack ($57.4 million total) and 2016’s Miracles From Heaven ($61.7 million), while 2014’s Son of God ($59.7 million total) was adapted from Mark Burnett and Roma Downey’s hit miniseries The Bible. ..

2. Offer a fresh take on the Bible.

While more straightforward tellings of Jesus’ life like 2006’s The Nativity Story ($37.6 million total) have flourished, it helps to see the story through fresh eyes. Mel Gibson’s 2004 blockbuster The Passion of the Christ ($370.8 million) offered a gritty, violent take on the Messiah’s Crucifixion, and 2016’s Risen ($36.9 million) charted a Roman soldier’s search for Jesus’ body after the Resurrection. ,,

3. Don’t shy away from God.

Three of the five highest-grossing faith-based movies are The Chronicles of Narnia series,released in the mid-2000s. All are based on Christian author C.S. Lewis’ young-adult novels and made $100 million-plus at the U.S. box office. The franchise wore religious symbolism on its sleeve, whereas A Wrinkle in Time more recently skimped on its source material’s Christian messaging, which some people believe may have put a dent in its earnings ($74.1 million so far).

A Wrinkle in Time Trailer #1 (2018) | Movieclips Trailers

“(Author) Madeleine L’Engle had a lot of scripture and ideas that drew from the Bible, and a lot of those things really got ironed out (of the film),” Holz says. “The producers said they wanted to make the movie really inclusive, but I think when you (adapt) a book that has some Christian ideas and take those out, that’s a potential turnoff to your core audience.”..
..”

Author Madeleine L’Engle, who died in 2007 at age 88, spoke about the importance of her own Christian faith as it relates to “A Wrinkle in Time.”

“If I’ve ever written a book that says what I feel about God and the universe, this is it,” L’Engle reportedly wrote in her journal. “This is my psalm of praise to life, my stand for life against death.” ..”A Wrinkle in Time (2018 film) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia en.wikipedia.org“.Budget $100–130 million[2][3][4]
Box office $132.4 million[5]..”

Paul, Apostle of Christ: Official Trailer | Now Playing – YouTube

Top 13 highest grossing faith films Movies
May 10th, 2017 foxnews.com“..Here’s a look at the top 13 highest grossing faith-based films from highest to lowest.
1. ‘The Passion of the Christ:’ $611,899,420..”

At around 2 a.m. in northern Atlanta, Ashley Smith had just returned to her apartment after making a late night run to a convenience store. It was then that she noticed a suspicious looking man sitting in his car.

She felt uneasy, so she jumped out of her car and hurried to her apartment.. She put the keys in the lock, opened the door, and the stranger was right behind her.

“I started to scream at the top of my lungs and he came up to me (saying) ‘Shut up, shut up!’ He just pointed the gun at me. ‘Just shut up. If you don’t scream I won’t hurt you.’ So, I stopped screaming. And he pushed me in the house, and shut the door and locked it. And I knew I wasn’t going to make it out of there. I knew I was going to die. But I immediately said, “’God, look, he can rape me. He can do whatever he wants to me. Just let me walk out of here alive.’”

Inside, he told Ashley he was Brian Nichols, the man police had been looking for…”

Captive Movie – Official Trailer – YouTube

Captive Movie
Published on Jun 16, 2015
Based on an inspiring true story, WATCH the official CAPTIVE movie trailer starring Kate Mara and David Oyelowo. http://www.captivethemovie.com/

The rising influence of faith-based movie fans By Allison Stewart September 18, 2015 washingtonpost.com“..Mara is Oyelowo’s co-star in the new film “Captive,” the true-life story of escaped murderer Brian Nichols and his hostage, Ashley Smith, who persuades him to release her using the power of faith and a dog-eared copy of Rick Warren’s “The Purpose Driven Life.”..

“There’s certain groups of people that only watch Christian movies,” says David A.R. White, who produced and co-starred in “God’s Not Dead” and co-founded the Christian production company Pure Flix. “They don’t have cable, they don’t watch mainstream TV, they just watch Christian content. We had so many write in that they went to ‘God’s Not Dead,’ and it was their first movie in eight to 10 years in a movie theater. That opened the door to, like, ‘Oh, wow, maybe the movies aren’t a sinful place.’ When ‘Heaven’ came out, they started going more consistently.

…Movies such as “The Blind Side,” “Unbroken” and “Selma,” so-called faith-friendly movies that subtly interject Christian principles into inspirational mainstream stories, may be the best hope of bridging the gulf between secular and faith-based audiences. They’re difficult to do well, says Rich Peluso, senior vice president of Affirm Films, the faith-based Sony subsidiary that released “War Room.” “Too many times, producers or filmmakers are thinking you can just tap into the faith-based market. They think of them as one giant group, and if you can just stick a priest in a scene, it’s going to connect with those folks, but the community is very diverse.”..
””

During this same span of time, Christian movies saw an explosion of interest as studios realized that a large portion of their audience wasn’t being satisfied with the latest Oscar winners and science fiction blockbusters. The Christian film industry was also helped by the growth of independent filmmaking over the last 20-30 years. Even though Hollywood has grown a little fonder of Christian stories, that doesn’t mean faith-based films are completely at the mercy of an industry that mostly doesn’t understand Christians. We can become our own storytellers and work around the system.

Christian films have seen an increase in production mostly because a number of them have found box office success. This success is defined not just by overall dollars earned but return on investment. If you make a film for $10 million and it earns $12 million in theaters, that’s not exactly a great success. Production budgets often don’t include the costs of marketing or details on distribution rights, so a safe formula for financial success is generally that a movie must make double its listed production budget. With that in mind, let’s take a look at the Christian movies which had the biggest box office success..

Chronicles of Narnia

“The Chronicles of Narnia” is one of, if not the biggest Christian entertainment franchise in existence. C.S. Lewis’ magnificent world has been brought to the screen three times. First, there was “The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe,” which earned around $750 million on a budget of $180 million. Next, we had “Prince Caspian” in 2008. This is the only film featured on this list that doesn’t match up to the “double the production budget” rule. The film did earn $420 million, but it had a really steep budget at $225 million. The Narnia series picked things back up with “The Voyage of the Dawn Treader” two years later. That film made roughly the same amount of money as its predecessor, but it cost $60 million less to make. The Narnia films each have a huge budget for Christian movies, but they tend to make their money back.”

RISEN Official Final Trailer (2016) Joseph Fiennes, Tom … – YouTube

Follows the epic Biblical story of the Resurrection, as told through the eyes of a non-believer. Clavius, a powerful Roman Military Tribune, and his aide Lucius, are tasked with solving the mystery of what happened to Jesus in the weeks following the crucifixion, in order to disprove the rumors of a risen Messiah and prevent an uprising in Jerusalem. Director: Kevin Reynolds Stars: Tom Felton, Joseph Fiennes, Cliff Curtis In theaters: February 9, 2016

Jennifer Garner finds faith, again, in ‘Miracles From Heaven’ Elysa Gardner, @elysagardner, USA TODAY Published 8:04 a.m. ET March 14, 2016 | Updated 5:59 p.m. ET March 14, 2016 usatoday.com“..But “I think I had become complacent in raising my children, almost as though (I thought) they were going to receive the ground beneath their feet that heaven had given me through osmosis,” she says. Returning home after filming, Garner raised the subject with her kids, “and they said, ‘Well, we want to go to church.’ ”

Garner “was floored, and I immediately looked up the local United Methodist church. We went there next Sunday, and it turned out to be the perfect environment. We’ve gotten so much from it; it’s like a gift Christy gave me.”..”

Miracles from Heaven (2016) historyvshollywood.com
Starring Jennifer Garner, Martin Henderson, Queen Latifah, Kylie Rogers | based on the memoir ‘Miracles from Heaven’ by Christy Beam“..The Miracles from Heaven true story reveals that when Annabel Beam was five years old she was diagnosed with two rare life-threatening digestive disorders, pseudo-obstruction motility disorder and antral hypomotility disorder, which resulted in frequent hospital stays (FoxNews.com). The former is characterized by altered and inefficient contractions (peristalsis) of the muscles in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, which help to move food content along. Instead of food content being passed efficiently, the intestines react as if there is a blockage, leading to inefficient absorption of nutrients. The latter, antral hypomotility disorder, is characterized by weak contractions in the antrum part of the stomach…”

October Baby klovefanawards.com“..“October Baby” was a modest success that took home over $5 million in ticket sales on a budget about one-fifth that amount. Released in 2011, the film is about a young woman who discovers that she was adopted by her parents after her birth mother tried to abort her. It’s a very emotional film as you can imagine. Adding a personal story to such a hot button issue is the kind of thing that Hollywood often does with themes like immigration, health care, and war…”

October Baby: Official Movie Trailer – YouTube

The Problem with ‘October Baby,’ A Christian Film About Abortion Morgan Feddes| March 21, 2012 christianitytoday.com
No one wanted the film. Except audiences, apparently.“..October Baby is a fairly typical coming-of-age love story, but the plot hinges on the main character’s discovery that she’s an abortion survivor. (Jon Erwin wrote it after hearing abortion survivor Gianna Jessen speak.) Though studio executives loved the film, they didn’t want to take on the controversial topic.

But the Erwins managed to raise enough support to do a limited release last October, and on its opening weekend it was the fourth-highest grossing film for per-screen average at almost $8,000 per theater. The positive reaction was enough to convince Provident Films and Samuel Goldwyn Films to help bring the movie to a wider audience—about 350 theaters when it releases on Friday, March 23…”